Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Monday 23 May 2022

Mothers and daughters-in-law

 

Three generations of ladies in our family

Four mothers and three daughters-in-law in the same pic. A rare photo indeed. Only possible because international borders have re-opened and Aidilfitri celebrations can return back to normal. This photograph would have been perfect if our three granddaughters were in it. It would then show 4 generations of ladies in our family. But the eldest granddaughter was in a reticent mood while the twins were already asleep.

Praise be to The Almighty... "Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?"

Saturday 30 April 2022

The twins first time visit to their father's hometown

Our 2nd son and his family came down to JB for a visit. So we took the opportunity to do some raya shopping for the twins. Sogo department store at Mid Valley Southkey was the destination.

Both girls were still recovering from slight flu and it was quite a challenge to cater to their occasional grumpy mood. When all the coaxing and cajoling do not seem to work, this grandfather suggests that we all take a drive and explore the various places in Johor Bahru that they have not been to before. Apparently, the smooth ride and cool interior of Tok Abah's car were quite relaxing and put them at ease.

Humaira (the elder twin) holding the hand of her mother and grandmother.
Haura is in her father's arms hidden in the back


Monday 29 November 2021

It's all in the genes...

A few days ago, our second son messaged me for help in getting some of his boyhood photographs to be scanned and converted to digital format. He asked me to select a few photos from when he was a baby and into the time he was at kindergarten and primary school. For some throwback project, he said.

I am a photographer and for sure I have tons of pictures of my family using the various types of cameras that I owned. Of course, the photos of my children in their younger days are in the old school printed format. Buy the roll of film from a photo store (usually a Kodak or Fujifilm, ASA100 with 36 exposures), load the film into the camera (be careful to ensure the leading edge of the film roll is engaged to the sprocket of the frame advance lever), close the camera caseback and advance the film (either by the manual lever or, for motorised cameras, by pressing the shutter release), proceed to take photos while bearing in mind to check for exposure and composition because you wouldn't want to waste the film by taking poor shots, roll back the exposed film into its cartridge after you have used up all the exposures (manual or auto rewinding, depending on the camera), open the caseback and take out the roll, send the roll to a photo processing outlet to be developed, come back in a few days (or a few hours if you are willing to pay extra for express processing), get the full set of 3R sized prints either in matt or glossy paper, plus the negatives of the roll. You then get to see the results of your photo-taking skills. How many of your shots turn out to be under-exposed or over-exposed, or out of focus, or blurred, or skewed, or colourless, or bland, or just simply lousy. But the few prints that turn out sharp, colourful and well-composed give you that strong sense of satisfaction.

Gone are the days of such excitement in non-digital photography.

Anyway, as I was sifting through the old photo albums, I came across a photo of our youngest son taken in September 1997 when he was about 2 and-a-half years old. I realised that I have a recent digital photo of our 1st granddaughter in a strikingly similar post. So I searched for it in my mobile phone's memory and made a collage of both photographs side by side. The similarities are obvious. Definitely in the genes.

The uncle and his niece, 24 years on

Wednesday 17 November 2021

Thirty-three and hopefully more...

17 November 1988 : We started life as husband and wife

17 November 2021 : Thirty-three years on, we are blessed with relatively good health and a happy family.

When we started life as a young family all those years ago, Allah swt blessed us with 3 boys. We are now further blessed with 3 lovely girls as our granddaughters. Looking forward to growing old together.

Just so happen that this restaurant has a suitable backdrop

A good time to try the Meat Cartel restaurant at Bandar Dato Onn, JB


Wednesday 3 November 2021

Double dose of joy in being a grandfather

We made the trip to Selangor last weekend. The four-day itinerary was jam-packed with visits and stopovers. Truth be told, 4 days is never enough to cover all the things that we wished to do but we have to manage it somehow.

This trip is the one we had been waiting for for quite a while, having been prevented from inter-state travel for a number of months due to the pandemic situation. We visited the graves of three siblings on my better half's side, dropped by the houses of some nieces and also managed to squeeze in a visit to the new gallery of illustrator friend, Emila Yusof. The highlight of the trip was meeting our twin granddaughters only for the second time.

Afra Humaira and Afra Haura are now 10-months old. We look forward to more joyful occasions with them in the near future.

We are now blessed with 3 granddaughters. Praise to the Almighty for granting us these jewels.

Double trouble or twice the joy, it's a matter of choice

Wednesday 20 October 2021

Spread your wings...

 

Maisarah at AEON Mall Bandar Dato' Onn, Johor Bahru

Work hard and aim high,
You'll never know if you don't try,
The only limit is the sky,
So spread your wings, my dear and fly...


Lunch and a day out at the shopping mall with my eldest son and his family yesterday. The first time we took our granddaughter to the AEON Mall at Bandar Dato' Onn was in January 2019 when she was still a babe-in-arms. At that time, her parents were on assignment and we gladly agreed to babysit her for a few days.

This time around, Maisarah is a 3-year old toddler. Highly observant and very talkative. Her parents wanted to buy new sandals for her and the children's shoe section at AEON has enough variety on sale to allow the young lady to pick out the pair that she likes.

After choosing her shoes, it was just a short skip to the adjacent section which all kids would not want to miss, the toys department. While her parents were at the cashier, I took the young lady to browse the toys.

"Tengok saja tau, take beli ya," I told her. Ok, she agreed, although I had doubts if she would actually keep to this arrangement upon seeing the huge range of toys on display. We had recently bought her a toy for her birthday last month, so I didn't think it is time yet to get her another one.

True enough, the moment she laid eyes on a particular doll, she told me she wanted it. So I said, you can hold it for a while but we are not buying it. A few minutes later, she walked to the stuffed toys area and picked up a unicorn. She hugged the toy and told me she wanted it. Again I gave the same response. I was pleased that she was quite obedient although there's a visible look of disappointment. The important thing was that she did not create a tantrum. I could have easily agreed to buy the toy because it wasn't terribly expensive. But I was hoping to teach her something and I do believe there is no better time to start than at an age when she is already aware of things that have value.

After a few more minutes of browsing, I told my granddaughter that it is time to move on because we had other places to go to. As we passed the stationery section, I spotted a sticker pack of the cartoon characters from Didi & Friends (a local animated series). I pointed it out to Maisarah who immediately became excited and picked it up from the display stand. She looked at me imploringly and said that she wanted it. I finally relented and said okay, I'll buy it for you. The look of delight on her face was precious. Those stickers would probably not last the week when she gets to play with them but her happy smile I will remember for a long time.

Maisarah kept her hold on the sticker pack as we made our way to the cashier counter. I told her to place the pack on the counter for the cashier to scan. After making payment, I told the cashier to hand over the sticker straight to my granddaughter. Without prompting, Maisarah said, "Thank you, Achik."

The young cashier was pleasantly surprised, smiled back and replied, "Sama-sama."

That's another person that Maisarah has caused to smile that day. Lovely.

Sunday 12 September 2021

The joy of being a grandfather

Two days ago the 10th of September, was the birthday of our eldest granddaughter. Maisarah, the daughter of our eldest son, turned 3-years old.

We get to see her quite often because my son and his family live in the Johor Bahru area too. It is either our son comes by our home to visit or, if we feel we miss her, then I'd just drive over to their place. It's only about half an hour away.

Maisarah is a very bright girl. With each visit, there is always something new I find out that she has learned or is able to do. She was able to stand and walk even before her first year. By two years old, she has an understanding of basic words and I could communicate with her in a simple way. Then she learned about colours and shapes. At one visit, I found out that she knows how to count from one to ten. When we next meet her, she could count to twenty. Subsequently, she shows us her ability to sing the ABC Alphabet song. The amazement never seems to cease.

A fortnight ago, we were at our son's home. I showed Maisarah a small cut on the pinkie finger of my left hand which I sustained while doing some gardening the day before. Of course, it no longer bleeds but the cut on the skin can be clearly seen. She had a worried look on her face when she asked, `Tok Abah sakit? Ada darah?'

'Sakit sikit je. Mula-mula ada darah tapi sekarang dah kering,' I replied.

Her next question surprised me. 'Tok Abah pergi doktor?' It was her look of real concern that really warmed my heart. She was able to associate the injury with the need to seek treatment. I laughingly answered that it is only a small cut and no doctor necessary.

We met up again two days ago to celebrate her birthday. After the initial hugs and kisses, she quickly took hold of my left hand and asked, 'Tok Abah sakit?' She remembered the cut on my finger!

I showed her the healed finger with the cut no longer visible. She smiled.

As always, I would try to take selfies with Maisarah each time we meet. At a suitable time later, I plan to create a collage of the photographs, to show the progression as she grows up. I have previously done one such edition last year. This time around, I brought a camera tripod because Maisarah already understands the concept of posing for a photoshoot.

After I finished taking a number of shots using the delayed timer on the mobile's camera, I was about to pack up the tripod when Maisarah said it was her turn. She wanted to set up her phone (her mummy's old faulty I-phone which now has become her toy) on the tripod. I clipped the I-phone to the holder and was about to place the tripod when she stopped me to say, 'Maisarah buat', meaning that she wants to set up the shoot herself. She then fiddled with the tilt lever of the tripod, angled the phone to face where I sat, and then, in English, remarked, 'Perfect'. Whoa... where did she learned that expression!

She then came over and sat on my lap, and we both faced the phone in make-believe that an actual selfie is being taken. Complete with the imaginary countdown and the 'Cheese!' at the end.

Three years old and I love her to bits.

We have two other granddaughters (daughters of our second son) whom we've only managed to see once. They live in Selangor and thus we are eagerly waiting for the MCO travel restrictions to end so that we can visit them too.

Grandpa's jewel

Friday 30 April 2021

Khairuddin Mohd Amin dalam kenangan

Khairuddin Bin Mohd Amin
Lahir : 1 Mac 1964
Kembali ke rahmatullah : 14 April 2021 (Rabu) bersamaan 3 Ramadhan 1442

Khairuddin adalah adik ipar saya (adik kepada orang rumah saya) yang menetap di Puncak Alam, Selangor. Telah dijemput ilahi ketika menunaikan solat Maghrib selepas selesai berbuka puasa. Selamat dikebumikan pada awal pagi Khamis sebelum solat subuh.

Kami terima berita yang agak mengejut ini ketika di hujung solat tarawih di masjid. Dengan keadaan negara masih terkawal di bawah PKP yang tidak nampak penghujungnya, saya memang menjangka tiada rezeki untuk kami melihat jenazah sebelum dikebumikan. Namun begitu, keesokan harinya kami berusaha mendapatkan permit polis untuk rentas negeri dan bertolak dari Johor Bahru ke Puncak Alam dengan membuat sedikit lencongan ke Kota Tinggi untuk singgah ambil seorang kakak ipar untuk turut sama.

Menurut pandangan anak kedua saya yang juga seorang doktor, punca kematian yang secara tiba-tiba sebegini hampir pastinya berkaitan komplikasi jantung. Hampir serupa keadaannya dengan pemergian adik lelaki saya (Azhar B. Isma Yatim) beberapa tahun yang lalu yang saya catit di sini -> And then there were three...

Allahyarham meninggalkan seorang isteri dan dua orang anak.

Innalillahi wainna ilaihi roji'un. Semuga Allah swt ampunkan dosa Khairuddin Mohd Amin dan tempatkan roh beliau bersama kalangan para soliheen.

Allahyarham Khairuddin (kiri) selaku pengacara majlis
ketika perkahwinan anak saudara kami 5 tahun yang lalu

Thursday 25 February 2021

Life is short. Make full use of it as best you can...

It was early morning Friday last week 19 February when the call came in on my wife's mobile. I was outside in our small garden, just about to connect the hose to water my plants. From the opening greetings that I overheard my wife say on her phone, I knew that it was her younger brother on the other end.

The initial greetings then changed to serious tones and my wife started crying. My brother-in-law had called to inform us that one of our nephews has been invited by the Almighty. I could guess which nephew he meant. I had seen a Facebook post from this nephew's wife the day before about him being warded at the ICU in a hospital in Muar.

Ahmad Rifaiee Zaid was the eldest son of one of the elder brothers on my better half's side. His father, Hj Zaid Md Amin, had passed away two years earlier. At that time, we had the opportunity to visit the father when he was in a hospital in Kluang. This time, the Covid-19 restrictions did not allow us to visit the son before he left us.

After my wife had calmed down a bit, she obtained some information with regards to the burial process. The deceased was still at Muar hospital where the cleansing and shrouding process would be carried out before sending to his home in Tangkak. My wife then made a few phone calls to her other siblings to ensure that all close relatives are informed. We then made preparations to travel to Tangkak, roughly a two-hour drive away. But before we could start our journey, a police permit is required for inter-district travel.

Modern-day technology has allowed the death certificate to be quickly shared via whatsapp. I printed a copy of the certificate and together with copies of our identity cards, applied for the travel permit at our local police station. After answering a few basic questions, the approval was stamped on our application form. It was almost 11am when we entered the N-S highway and headed north. My wife was told that the burial would be held after Jumu'ah prayers. I was fairly confident we would reach Tangkak in time.

We exited the highway at the Bukit Gambir interchange. There was a police roadblock just after the toll plaza. The police officer on duty had a look at our travel permit and let us pass without question. When we arrived at our nephew's home, the deceased was already there and I was just in time to join the solat jenazah. Understandably, the mood was sad and sombre. There were tears and embraces even though the latter is highly discouraged under the SOP social-distancing guidelines. How can I not hug my other nephews (siblings of the deceased) who have just lost their eldest brother? The departure of Ahmad Rifaiee was quite unexpected although he had a history of hospital treatments. His previous admissions were due to gastrointestinal complications but he had always recovered. He had always been in cheerful mood and made light of his illness.

I got along very well with Ahmad Rifaiee. He had a joyful demeanour and a healthy dose of humour. He was a foodie like I am. We would regularly exchange information on where the best eating spots are. I miss him already.

The official COD mentioned on the certificate is Acute Coronary Syndrome. I assume that his heart did not obtain the required amount of blood due to internal bleeding caused by the gastrointestinal disorders.

Ahmad Rifaiee Zaid was 41-years old. He leaves behind a wife and five children. His eldest, Nurul Syuhada is presently taking the long-delayed SPM 2020 examinations. I could not imagine how the stress and sadness are affecting her right now.

Innalilahi wainna ilaihi roji'un. May Allah swt bless your soul and place you among the soliheen.

Our nephew on the right. Pic taken last year when he treated us to mee bandung at a local stall in Tangkak


Wednesday 27 January 2021

Stay at home celebration

Today 27 January 2021 is the 26th birthday of our youngest son, Imran Azizi. This time last year he was working at a restaurant in Cyberjaya. He left his job just before the first nationwide Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed and managed to return home in Johor Bahru before the travel restriction came into effect.

One year down the road, we are still under MCO restrictions although with significantly less stringent regulations compared to the first lockdown. Still, no dining at restaurants is allowed. Hence it is just a small and simple birthday celebration at home. Praise to the Almighty for the good health and blessings.

May this pandemic last not much longer...

Pizza and cake

Just a small cake for the three of us at home


Monday 30 November 2020

Setahun telah berlalu...

Pada tarikh 30 November tahun lepas telah selamat berlangsung majlis kenduri kahwin anak kedua kami, Harith Shahiran dan isterinya Aisyah, di Menara Tabung Haji, Johor Bahru. Saya tidak berkesempatan untuk menceritakan tentang acara tersebut dalam blog ini pada tahun lalu. Alhamdulillah, semuanya berjalan lancar dan majlis dihadiri oleh ramai sahabat-sahabat dan kenalan dari zaman persekolahan hingga zaman bekerja. Terima kasih kepada semua yang meraikan acara tersebut bersama kami.

Pada tahun ini, beberapa sahabat dan saudara-mara kami yang terpaksa menunda atau meringkaskan majlis perkahwinan anak-anak mereka akibat arahan PKP. Mudah-mudahan Allah swt permudahkan urusan untuk meraka yang terkesan dengan peraturan norma baru.

Gambar di bawah ini ialah bersama besan kami iaitu En Abdullah dan Pn Saadiah yang datang dari Kota Damansara, Selangor.

Majlis terima menantu di JB. Majlis nikah disempurnakan beberapa minggu sebelum itu.

Monday 31 August 2020

Rumah Ngaji Ukhwah Safi Al-Amin

My better half hails from Mersing, a small town on the east coast of Johor. Her family home is located in Kg Sri Pantai, about 5km before reaching the town proper if we were to travel on the Kota Tinggi - Mersing trunk road.

According to my wife, her late father built the house more than 45 years ago when he retired from being an Islamic religious school teacher. They had previously lived in government quarters based on her father's eligibility as a state civil servant. Over the years, the house underwent very minimal changes, the most significant being the addition of new bathrooms to accommodate the growing number of grandchildren who come visit during festive periods. As time passed, the house began to age, in line with its old owners. When my mother-in-law passed away, the house lost its shine. My father-in-law later remarried a widow and stayed at her house in another part of Mersing. 

With no permanent occupant, the house began to lose its homely feel. With the exception of one elder sister who lived near Mersing town, all the other siblings on my wife's side have moved out of Mersing, either to pursue their careers or to follow their respective spouses. It was left to this sister and her husband to occasionally clean and maintain the house. When this sister became ill and decided to stay with her daughter in Shah Alam, the old family home slid into further decline.

There were discussions among the siblings as to what should be done with the house. Putting it up for rent was out of the question because we need somewhere to gather during hari raya. The next option considered was converting it into a homestay. To do this, the house would need some major renovations to make it attractive and suitable for customers. The budget for the renovation work and difficulty in getting someone trustworthy to manage the homestay were the main drawbacks. And so the sad condition of the house continued for a few more years until one of my sisters-in-law came up with the idea to set up a Rumah Ngaji (house to learn recital of the Qur'an), based on the model established by the Karangkraf publishing group. This effort would be a social contribution to the local community while at the same time, preserving the legacy of both parents.

This sister-in-law, Hjh Azizah Mohd Amin, decided to opt for early retirement from her job as a lecturer at a training college in Bangi and return home to Mersing and manage the house. In the few years prior to her retirement, the family pooled funds to renovate the house and buy some basic equipment and furnishings. We changed the layout of a few rooms, re-painted the interior, improved the plumbing system and totally re-wired the house to comply with current safety standards. The sitting room area (where classes would be held) was installed with wall-to-wall carpeting.

After a few months of renovation work and preparation, the first class to teach the reading of Al-Qur'an began on 1 June 2018.

Rumah Ngaji Ukhwah Safi Al-Amin (or Rumah Ngaji USA, for short), takes its name from the combination of my parents-in-law's names, Sapiah Bt Mohamad and Mohd Amin B Abdul Karim.

Quranic reading lessons are held for children and female adults and are taught by qualified teachers. All lessons are free.

As with everything else, the classes were suspended during the initial Covid-19 outbreak, in line with MCO regulations. Classes have resumed on 14 August 2020. The first picture below was taken a few days ago after I helped tie up the Malaysian flag in conjunction Hari Merdeka.

Wishing all readers a happy national day in this new normal era.

Malaysia Prihatin. Kita Jaga Kita.

Selamat Hari Merdeka Ke 63

Opening remarks from Hjh Azizah on the 1st day


The first group of young students in June 2018.
Desks were later provided for better comfort

Thursday 9 July 2020

A memorable birthday in 2020

A few days ago, I celebrated my 58th birthday. This year's occasion is somewhat different from previous years because of a few reasons.

We are still in Covid-19 pandemic situation, although the daily numbers are encouragingly showing a trend of newly infected cases in single digits. Hopefully, we shall see zero cases being reported soon. The Malaysian government and its citizens have shown great resolve in fighting the outbreak. With the reduction in the number of daily infections, the government has relaxed the MCO restrictions. This includes the ability to travel between states.

Our second son and daughter-in-law both work at Hospital Sungai Buloh, the reference hospital for coronavirus cases. Our son is considered a frontliner as one of his duties include screening of incoming patients. As such, it is quite difficult for him to obtain leave to come visit us. I therefore made the decision for us to travel north to visit them last weekend. I was also conveniently looking for a reason for us to make social visits after being cooped up at home for three months.

The other (even stronger) reason was that I share the same birthday as my daughter-in-law, Aisyah Bt Abdullah, 6th of July. When their wedding was held in November last year, I had not known of this fact. At the time, I was too focussed on planning for the wedding, it didn't occur to me to ask about the birthday of our newest family member. It was only early this year that my wife told me about it. At last, I have another family member to celebrate the 6th of July every year (note : I had previously written about the Birthday Paradox in a post dated 20.12.2009).

Instead of my son and his wife travelling down to Johor to celebrate the special day with us, my wife and I drove the other direction so we could celebrate it with them. We had a birthday lunch at the home of my brother-in-law in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, the main menu item being a home-cooked nasi briyani prepared by the mother-in-law of the birthday girl.

Indeed, a memorable family occasion to treasure for years to come...

Only two candles on the cake

Lunch of nasi briyani in both mutton and chicken options

The wedding reception in November 2019. Aisyah and her parents on the right

Saturday 15 February 2020

Maisarah and her grandfather...

What does a doting grandfather do when he gets to meet his adorable granddaughter?
He takes selfies with her...

And what does the grandfather do when he has a collection of selfies over a period of a year?
He compiles them into a still video which he would repeatedly view without feeling the least bit bored...


Friday 24 January 2020

20/20 Vision...

As noted previously, the whole of 2019 has passed without me making any significant entry in this blog. Many things happened last year but somehow I could not push myself to put them down in writing. This disinterest in blogging has, of course, occurred before, so I shall refrain from making any excuses. Similarly, there is no promise that the new year 2020 would bring any improvement in the creative drive.

So we'll just get on with it. No need to express what my visions are for this year's blogging target.

Just to re-cap on two events of note that happened last year :

19 April 2019 (Friday) - My father, Hj Isma Yatim Bin Hj Ramli, passed away in early morning just before dawn. By the grace of the Almighty, the arrangement for burial went smoothly and the whole process was completed before mid-day. Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rojiun.


My mother, brothers and sister at my father's grave about a month after burial

2 November 2019 (Saturday) - Our second son, Harith Shahiran, tied the knot with a young lady from Kota Damansara in Selangor. The latest addition to our family is called Aisyah Bt Abdullah.

Harith & Aisyah

May good things happen this year that would be worth writing about...

Trivia : 20/20 Vision does not necessarily mean that you have perfect eyesight. It is a term used to express normal visual acuity (clarity and sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can clearly see the eye chart placed 20 feet away from you, as what the average person would be able to see. If you have 20/30 vision, it means your eyesight is worse than average. At 20 feet away, you can only read letters that the average person can read at 30 feet distance.

Conversely, a person with 20/15 vision has sharper eyesight than most. At 20 feet, he is able to read a line on the eye chart the average person can see at 15 feet.

Tuesday 31 December 2019

A quiet 2019...

Quiet... in terms of blog posting, that is.

I'm wondering myself, why the near total absence in writing. This is not good. Hopefully things will improve in 2020. 

Let's close this year with an update of my granddaughter. Maisarah was about a year old when this pic was taken. She's 15 months-old now and quite a handful.

Happy new year to all friends and readers. May the Almighty bless you with good health for all the 366 days of 2020. 

Sunday 16 December 2018

My first grandfather-granddaughter moment


Two days ago, we went out for dinner to celebrate the birthday of this little lady's mother. I had finished my plate early so I took turn to care for her while the other family members enjoy their meal. I held her in my arms and we had a stroll outside the restaurant to savour the cool night air. At first, her eyes were wide open with awe, looking at the bright lights of passing cars. As I softly chatted with her in babyspeak, she comfortably drifted off to sleep. Indeed... I could've held her all night like this and not feel any hint of weariness.

My first grandfather - granddaughter moment. Looking forward to more moments like this...

Wednesday 26 September 2018

Maisarah...

My first grandchild's name is Maisarah Bt. Arshad Khalid.

Before she was born, my wife asked if I had any suggestion for the baby's name. I decided that I would not suggest any but rather allow the honour to be given to my daughter-in-law's parents.

In the end, the name was decided upon by the baby's parents. It was a name that I would have chosen too if I was to have a daughter of my own, many years ago.

For sure this little lady would be growing up fully pampered by her two grandmothers...

Maisarah at 4 days

Tuesday 11 September 2018

An old man in the new year

Today is 11 September 2018 by the Gregorian calendar. It is also the first day of the new year in the Islamic calendar, otherwise known as the 1st of Muharram for 1440 Hijri. I have previously written in earlier posts about the difference between these two calendars; the main one being that the Hijri year is shorter than the Gregorian by about 10 to 11 days. However, I don't think I have mentioned of another notable dissimilarity.

In Islamic tradition, the beginning of a new day occurs at dusk, i.e. when the sun of the preceding day has set. This means that the new Hijri year began yesterday evening at around 7.07pm (sunset time for the district of Johor Bahru, Malaysia). I am highlighting this fact because a significant event took place last night.

Our daughter-in-law, Nor Hanida Bt Elias, gave birth to her first child, a girl, at around 9.20pm at Sultanah Aminah Hospital. Both mother and baby are doing well, alhamdulillah. They have been discharged a few hours ago. Our first grand-daughter arrived in this world on 10 September 2018 but by the Islamic calendar, she is a new year baby. By coincidence (or the Almighty's design, depending on your point of view) the baby's father, my eldest son Arshad Khalid, was also born on 1st Muharram exactly 30 Hijri years ago.

My better half and I are now grandparents.

In previous posts, I have acknowledged many times that I am a senior citizen by virtue of the numerous grand-nephews and grand-nieces in our extended family. Even the Oldstock nickname (first applied when I was still a teenager) is a reflection of this. And now, with the arrival of our first grandchild, I am a confirmed `Datuk'. An honour not bestowed by any king or nobility.

An old man in the new year...

The new baby in the arms of her grandmother

Wednesday 1 August 2018

A different birthday occasion this year

It is already the month of August 2018. A lot of things has happened but I have not had the inclination to write about them. So I'll just post a short note about my birthday this year which actually was last month, on the 6th of July. It is more of a personal dedication to a very important person.

Some years ago, I came across a good suggestion from someone who said that the person whom we should congratulate first on our birthday is our mother. It is she who went through the pain of childbirth, the trouble to clothe and feed us, and the responsibility to raise us to become decent human beings.

I count my blessings to be fortunate enough to still have my mother with me. Syukur alhamdulillah. This year, both parents came to stay at my place for the Aidilfitri celebration. By design of the Almighty, my mother had a fall in the early morning of the 2nd day of raya. Her left upper arm bone (humerus) was fractured and is now in a plaster cast. Her extended stay meant that I can have this special pic taken with her on my birthday. A very rare occasion indeed.

Hjh Aduwiah Bt Haji Mohd Rashid who gave birth to yours truly when she was 21 years old.

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.